So why does Perry think that she’s connected with a mass audience when the road to stardom is littered with the failed dreams of aspiring wannabes? “Because I’m just myself,” she says, “and that’s all people want. People want to hear artists who are themselves, but who do interesting things and sing about them in an interesting way that maybe they have tried to conceive but couldn’t. I get a lot of girls who come up to me and say, ‘When I heard ‘Thinking of You,’ I felt that way to a T, but I never knew anyone who could put my feelings into words.’ I think that’s why people find me relatable. Plus, anybody can meet me. I’m not distant. I’m very much the same person I was before the hit singles. I just have a schedule for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”